Abram, also known as Abraam or Saint Abram, (1829 – 10 June 1914) was a contemporary

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...

saint. He was the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Faiyum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

and Giza, and was also known as ''the Friend of the Poor''.

Biography

Abram was born Boulos (Paul) Gabriel in 1545 A.M. (1829 AD), in the village of Gilda, district of Mallawi, in the

Minya Governorate Minya Governorate ( ar, محافظة المنيا ') is one of the governorates of Upper Egypt. Its capital city, Minya, is located on the left bank of the Nile River. Etymology The name originates from the chief city of the governorate, origi ...

. At the age of eight, Boulos' mother died after a brief illness. At the age of fifteen the village priests recommended him to Youssab (Joseph), the Bishop of the Diocese, who ordained him as a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

. Boulos joined the Monastery of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, known as El-Muharraq Monastery in Assiut, where he was ordained

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

in 1848, at the age of nineteen. His monastic name became Paul El-Muharraqi. Paul was distinguished by his patience and self-control, and his interest in

almsgiving Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread practice in a numbe ...

.Atiya, Aziz S. ''The Coptic Encyclopedia.'' New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1991.

/ref> Metropolitan Yakoubos (Jacob) heard about him and asked him to come to the

Metropolitanate A metropolis religious jurisdiction, or a metropolitan archdiocese, is an episcopal see whose bishop is the metropolitan bishop or archbishop of an ecclesiastical province. Metropolises, historically, have been important cities in their provinces ...

to continue his work with the poor. After four years, he asked to return to the monastery. The metropolitan ordained him a priest and allowed him to return to the monastery in 1863. Paul then became

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

of the El-Muharraq Monastery. The number of new monks exceeded forty within a short period of time. The monastery became a refuge for the poor people of the community, whom he aided unreservedly by the use of its income. In the long run, the monks became dissatisfied with his ways, which they considered as sheer dissipation of the fortunes of the monastery. They complained to Anba Marcus, archbishop of Beheira and acting patriarchal deputy after the death of Demetrius II, who decided to relieve him from the headship of al-Muharraq. Paul was deposed by Metropolitan Marcos in 1870. Shortly after this, Paul left Al Muharraq Monastery and went to the

Paromeos Monastery The Paromeos Monastery ( cop, ⲡⲁⲣⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ), also known as Baramos Monastery ( ar, البراموس), is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun in the Nitrian Desert, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. It is the most northern ...

. Four monks from Al Muharraq Monastery accompanied him. The abbot of the

, at that time, was arch-priest Youhanna (John) the Scribe, who later became

Pope Cyril V of Alexandria Pope Cyril V of Alexandria (Abba Kyrillos V), 112th Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark for 52 years, 9 months and 6 days. He was the longest-serving Pope in the history of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was born as Youhann ...

. In 1597 A.M. (1881 A.D.), Pope Cyril V appointed Paul to be the bishop to the parish of

Fayoum Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...

and Giza, carrying the name of Bishop Abram, and replacing its reposed Bishop Isaak. Abram died on 3 Paoni 1630 A.M. (10 June 1914 AD). Some twenty five thousand persons attended his funeral, both

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

and

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. He was buried in a grave he had prepared himself. His body is preserved at the

Metropolitanate of

, in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. In 1964, The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria canonized Abram as a saint, and decided to add his name to those of the saints mentioned in the ''Diptych of the Saints'' during the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of ...

References

External links

Online e-Book: St. Anba Abram the Departed Bishop of Fayoum "Friend of the Poor" (1829-1914 A.D.) - Includes Part I: His Life & Part II: Wonders and Miracles - Written by William A. Hanna, Ph.D. (Format: PDF - 790 KB)

Another e-Book about Anba Abram, the Friend of the Poor, by Rev. Fr. Tadros Y. Malaty (Format: PDF - 646 KB)
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050819132516/http://www.copticchurch.org/English_spiritual_articles/AnbaAbraam.htm
Saint (Anba) Abram Museum: An Album of the Contents of the Museum of The Departed Bishop of Fayoum; The Monastery of St. Mercurius known as 'Deir AL-Azab' Fayoum, Egypt (Format: PDF - 1.17 MB)

The Coptic Orthodox Diocese of El-Fayoum/Anba Abram Monastery, Egypt (most content in Arabic)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abram 1829 births 1914 deaths Coptic Orthodox saints Coptic Orthodox bishops Egyptian Christian monks 20th-century Christian saints People from Minya Governorate 20th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops 19th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops